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The Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz (1905–1983) on December 23, 1975, which declared that
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) players became
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifying baseball's
reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into ano ...
. The ruling was issued in regard to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally.


Background

Since the 1880s, baseball owners had included a paragraph described as the reserve clause in every player contract. The paragraph as written allowed teams to renew a contract for a period of one year following the end of a signed contract. Owners asserted and players assumed that contract language effectively meant that a player could be "reserved," by a ballclub's unilateral contract renewal, year after year in perpetuity by the team that had signed the player. That eliminated all market competition and kept salaries relatively low. Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith both played
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...
as
starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
s. McNally first played professionally in 1961, and made his major-league debut in 1962 with the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
. Messersmith first played professionally in 1966, and made his major-league debut in 1968 with the
California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
.


Grievance

In 1975, Messersmith played his third season with the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, while McNally played his first season with the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
, having been traded by the Orioles in December 1974. Both players had had their 1974 contracts automatically renewed by their teams for the 1975 season, on the basis of the reserve clause. Since neither signed a contract during that option year, both asserted that they were free to sign with other teams the following season (1976). The owners disagreed, arguing that under the reserve clause the one-year contracts were perpetually renewed. The
Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...
(MLBPA) filed notices of
grievance A grievance () is a wrong or hardship suffered, real or supposed, which forms legitimate grounds of complaint. In the past, the word meant the infliction or cause of hardship. See also * Complaint system * Harm Harm is a morality, moral and ...
on behalf of both players on October 7, 1975.
Hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory sci ...
s were held on November 21, 24 and December 1, 1975, before an arbitration panel composed of MLB Player Relations Committee chief negotiator John Gaherin, MLBPA executive director Marvin Miller, and Seitz—the chairman and impartial arbitrator—agreed upon by both opposing parties.


Decision

Seitz ruled in favor of Messersmith and McNally on December 23, 1975, declaring:Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp. v. Major League Baseball Players Ass'n, 409 F. Supp. 233, 261 (W.D. Mo. 1976) aff'd, 532 F.2d 615 (8th Cir. 1976) – Leagle, Inc.
/ref> Seitz's opinion further stated: In essence, the players were free to bargain with other teams because organized baseball could maintain a player's services for only one year after expiration of the previous contract. According to Gaherin, Seitz indicated soon after he heard arguments from both sides that he was leaning toward ruling for the players.


Aftermath

MLB appealed the decision to the
United States district court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district. Each district cov ...
for Western Missouri, but Seitz's ruling was upheld on February 3, 1976, by Judge John Watkins Oliver, and later by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In August, after all appeals were exhausted, the league and players' association reached an agreement allowing players with six years of major-league service to become
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s. McNally and Messersmith were officially granted free agency on March 16, 1976. Messersmith signed with the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
on April 10, 1976, and went on to play in MLB through the 1979 season, completing his 12-year major-league career with 344 games pitched (295 starts) and a 130–99 win–loss record. McNally did not play professionally after 1975, having finished his 14-year major-league career with 424 games pitched (396 starts) and a 184–119 record.


See also

* ''Eastham v. Newcastle United'', a 1963 court case in England * Koufax–Drysdale holdout, the first notable challenge by MLB players against owners in 1966, by
Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...
and Don Drysdale. *
Curt Flood Curtis Charles Flood Sr. (January 18, 1938 – January 20, 1997) was an American professional baseball center fielder and activist. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washin ...
, MLB player and plaintiff in '' Flood v. Kuhn'', a 1972 case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court *
Bosman ruling ''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of associati ...
, a 1995
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
decision that outlawed a similar reserve system in European
football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...


References


External links


ESPN retrospective
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seitz Decision Major League Baseball labor relations 1975 in baseball Major League Baseball controversies Baseball law